Computer core handler

ABSTRACT

A computer core handler having a bowl for receiving and holding untested cores and a vertical chute for receiving cores from the bowl and guiding them to a test station where the cores are speared by a test probe. The cores are allowed to drop into a selector which guides the core into a selected one of a plurality of core reservoirs depending upon the test results. A moving brush moves the cores in the bowl into the chute and another rotating brush urges the cores downwardly along the chute to the test station.

United States Patent [191 Bower 1,950,909 3/1934 Totman................................22l/l77 2,975,894 3/1961 Hill.....................................209/8lR [54] COMPUTER CORE HANDLER [75] Inventor:

Richard Bower, Northridge, Calif.

[73] Assignee: H. Research Laboratories, Inc., Primary E aminer Richa1-d A. Schacher Oakland, Calif- Att0rney--Flehr, Hohbach, Test, Albritton & Herbert Apr. 29, 1971 [22] Filed:

ABSTRACT A computer core handler having a bowl for receivin [21] Appl. No.: 138,718

for receiving cores from the bowl and guiding them to a and holding untested cores and a vertical chute test station where the cores are speared by a test probe. The cores are allowed to drop into a selector which guides the core into a selected one of a plurality of core reservoirs depending upon the test results. A moving brush moves the cores in the bowl into the m 1 1 l 7 mu2k6 w 2 0 4 n -n 7 am a m H 2 I 4 7 3 m H :7 w ""3 2. u ""6 ""3 U NW n "h [56] References Cited chute and another rotating brush urges the cores UNITED STATES PATENTS downwardly along the chute t0 the test station.

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COMPUTER CORE HANDLER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a computer core handler and more particularly to a computer core handler in which cores to be tested are brushed into and along a core chute which delivers the cores to a test station and the cores are thereafter selectively directed to one of a plurality of core reservoirs depending upon the test results.

Prior art core handlers have included a bowl or reservoir for receiving untested cores and a guide chute for guiding the cores to a test station. In one type of core handler, vibratory feeding moves the cores from the bowl into and along the core chute to the test station. This type of handler works well for larger cores but seems to progressively offer sources of trouble for smaller cores. Another type of handler employs a bowl having a face plate with a narrow slot between the edge of the bowl and the face plate whereby the cores are vertically lined up in the slot. The core chute is disposed directly below and in line with the slot. Immediately after a core under test is released, the bowl is rotated and many cores in the slot are passed over the chute until one falls into the chute to replace the tested core. This type of handler is relatively expensive because of the added mechanical complexity for rotating the bowl and also is subjected to substantial wear.

In the prior art core handlers, the feeding rate is limited in that they rely on gravitational forces for feeding the cores along the chute to the test station. Another problem with the prior art handlers is that there is a delay between the time the tested core is released by the probe and the time that it enters the selected reservoir. This delay is introduced by the time that it takes the tested core to fall from the test position into the selected reservoir. This, of course, limits the rate at which cores can be tested since the selector must be positioned below the core to receive the tested core and then move to a new position to accept the next tested core.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a core handler in which the cores are positively urged from the bowl into the core chute and positively moved along the chute toward the test station.

It is another object of the invention to provide a core handler in which the selector is designed to permit movement of the selector while the cores are falling into the selected reservoir.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by a core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into the upper end of a chute disposed to receive cores from the bowl and which guides the cores to a test station where they are individually tested, released and received by selector means which guides the cores into selected reservoirs. The bowl includes a circular slot and brush means cooperate with the slot to move cores in the slot into the core chute as cores are released. Furthermore, a rotating brush extends into the chute to engage and move the cores along the chute to the test position. The selector may move after the core is received and while it is falling under gravitational forces towards the selected core reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of a core handler in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the apparatus taken generally along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion 4-4 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view taken generally along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 7-7 of FIG. I.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 8-8 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the line 9-9 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9a is an enlarged sectional view showing the funnel shaped arcuate slots for selected collection of tested cores.

FIG. 10 is a partial side elevational view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the core handler includes a drive assembly 11 and one or more head assemblies 12 which may be removably mounted on and coupled to the drive assembly. The drive assembly includes a base plate 13 having depending feet 14. A bracket 16 is secured to the base plate and extends upwardly and is adapted to support motor 17 which drives drive gear 18. Idler gear 19 mounted on the base plate is driven from the drive gear 18. The idler gear drives gear 21 coupled to shaft 22. The shaft 22 is connected to an electrical clutch assembly 23 having an output shaft 24 carried by plate 26. The shaft 24 is provided with drive coupling 27.

A head mounting plate 28 is supported from the base plate 13 by members 29 and 31 secured between the base plate and the mounting plate. Guide pins 32 are carried by the head mounting plate 28. The pins are adapted to engage holes 33 formed in the head base plate 34 to locate the head assembly on its mounting plate with coupling 36 engaging the drive coupling 27. It is apparent that a single drive motor 27 may drive a plurality of adjacent drive couplings through suitable drive gears and clutches whereby a plurality of head assemblies may be mounted and driven from a single drive unit.

The head assembly 112 includes a bowl 41 shown more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The bowl may be formed by machining a conical cavity in a solid block 42. A passage 43 communicates with the bowl for placing untested cores in the bowl. A preferably transparent front cover 44 engages the face of the bowl. The cover may be held by screws 45, FIG. 2. The transparent cover permits observation of the untested cores in the bowl. A groove 46 is formed at the face of the bowl and cooperates with the cover 44 to define a narrow circular slot 46a extending around the periphery of the bowl. The width of this slot is only several mils greater than the height of the cores whereby cores are trapped vertically in the slot facing to the front of the handler. A core chute 47 is disposed immediately below the slot. The core chutes includes an elongated slot which is just slightly wider than the maximum core diameter and just slightly deeper than the core height whereby cores can move from the bowl into the chute where they are stacked in a vertical column. The chute slot is accurately aligned with the circular slot whereby the cores can travel down into the chute as tested cores are released from the bottom.

A probe 48 cooperates with the chute and serves to sequentially spear individual cores as they move downwardly into the test position. The probe 48 is mounted in a head 49 which, in turn, is received by a collet 51. Retraction of the collet releases the head for replacement. The probe 48 moves back and forth, as will be presently described. The probe is guided in a bearing 52 mounted in the back of the core chute. In its forward position, the probe spears a core and test signals are applied to the core to test the core. The probe serves to support the column of cores in the chute during test. When the probe is withdrawn, an interrupter plate 53 moves into position below the chute. The column of cores in the core chute moves downwardly until the tested and released core engages the interrupter. At this point, a new core is in the test position. The dropped tested core holds the weight of the column of cores in the chute until the probe moves forward spearing the new core. As the probe moves forward, the interrupter plate 53 moves forward releasing the lower core which then drops into the selector mechanism 54 to be presently described. At this point, the column of cores in the core chute is again held up by the probe. Thus, as the probe moves back and forth, the column of cores is alternately maintained by the probe and interrupter.

The probe head includes a pair of contact arms 55, FIG. 2, which move back and forth with the probe and in the forward position make contact with the contacts 56 whereby to complete an electrical circuit for testing.

The selector assembly 60 is responsive to the electrical output of the test apparatus to classify or select cores. The selector comprises a selector arm 61, FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 9 and 10, which is pivoted at 62 and driven by a pair of solenoids 63 and 64. When the solenoids are deenergized, springs 66, FIG. 9, maintain the arm 61 in its normal position. Energization of one or the other of the solenoids moves the arm clockwise or counterclockwise. In the neutral position of the arm, the select mechanism is positioned to receive rejected or bad cores. This assures that any malfunction of the apparatus or delays will place the cores in the reject bin eliminating the possibility of a bad core finding its way into a good bin or reservoir.

In the present apparatus, the arm and cooperating core guides are formed whereby the core must only fall into one of the funnel-shaped openings 67a, 67b or 670. The arm may thereafter move while the core is moving downwardly in the openings. Openings 68a, 68b and 680 are formed at the bottom of the funnels 67a, 67b and 670, respectively. The openings 68a, 68b and 680 are located at different radial distances along the arm and cooperate with funnel-shaped arcuate slots 69a, 69b and 690, respectively. The captured core will fall into the respective slot 69 regardless of the position of the arm. Thus, it is merely necessary that the core fall into the proper funnel; thereafter, the core will fall into the proper one of the slots 69a, 69b or 69c. The bottom of the slots feed into guide tubes 71a, 71b and 710, respectively. The guide tubes direct the cores to an appropriate bin or reservoir disposed below the tube.

In accordance with the present invention, the cores are moved in the narrow circular slot 46a so that as the tested core is dropped, a new core is urged into the top of the chute. In accordance with the present invention, a brush serves to engage and move the cores in the circular slots until a new core falls into the chute. The brush 73 may oscillate back and forth in the slot over the chute to engage the top of the cores aligned in the slot and move them back and forth over the chute whereby a new core falls into the chute as the column moves down. It is apparent that the brush might rotate or otherwise move over the slot. It has been found preferable to employ an oscillatory motion. A rotating brush 74, FIGS. 3 and 4, extends through a slot at the front of the chute and engages and serves to continuously move the cores downwardly along the chute towards the test position. The forces applied by the brush overcome frictional and other restraining forces which would inhibit free flow of the cores along the chute.

Referring now to the mechanical drive for driving the probe and brushes, it is noted that the coupling 36 drives a bevel gear 81 which, in turn, drives bevel gear 82 and shaft 83 journalled in the plate 84 secured to the base 34 of the head assembly 12. The base 34 also supports plates 87 and 88 which support a top plate 89 to form a housing and support for the various parts of the handler. Shaft 83 carries a gear 91 which drives gear 93 through idler 94. The gear 93 drives a sprocket 95, FIG. 3, which drives belt 96 which drives the brush 74 through sprocket 97, FIG. 10. An idler sprocket 98 provides for tensioning of the drive belt 96. Thus, the rotating brush 74 is continuously rotated to urge the cores downwardly along the chute. In addition, the shaft 83 drives a cam I01, FIGS. 1 and 3, which is engaged by cam follower roller 102 disposed at the end of probe shaft 103 which moves the shaft 103 carrying the probe back and forth to move the probe in and out of the cores as previously described. A spring 104 keeps the cam follower engaged with the cam. The shaft 83 also carries a cam 111, FIG. 7, which is engaged by a cam follower 112 at the end of a lever arm 113 pivoted at 114. A pin 116 is carried at the other end of the arm and rides in slot 117 of crank 118. The crank 118 is attached to the shaft 119 which, in turn, extends into the bowl and carries the brush 73. Movement of the cam follower along the cam serves to oscillate the brush back and forth to urge the cores over the chute as previously described.

Thus, there is provided a computer core handler in which the cores are positively moved from the core bowl into the core chute and then positively moved along the core chute to the test position by means of moving brushes. Further, there is provided a selector means which can move while the selected core moves into its storage bin.

I claim:

1. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in the bowl are fed into the core chute having one end disposed to receive the cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested, released and received by selector means which directs the cores into a selected receptacle, the combination with said bowl of a cover, said cover and bowl cooperating to define a slot between the bowl and cover for receiving cores to be tested, a brush which engages the cores in the bowl, means for moving the brush to move the cores in the bowl with their longitudinal axes in a generally horizontal position over the end of the chute whereby said brush moves the cores along the slot over the chute to permit the cores to fall into the chute so that when a tested core is released a new core moves into the chute.

2. A computer core handler as in claim 1 wherein said cover is transparent.

3. A computer core handler as in claim 1 wherein said brush is caused to oscillate back and forth over the core chute.

4.,ln a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into the core chute having a front opening and having one end disposed to receive the cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested, released, and receives by selector means which directs the cores into a selected receptacle, the combination with said bowl of a brush which engages the cores in the bowl, means for moving the brush to move the cores in the bowl over the end of the chute whereby when a tested core is released a new core moves into the chute, a rotating brush adapted to engage cores in the chute through the front opening and move them along the chute, and means for moving said rotating brush.

5. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into a core chute having one end disposed to receive cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station of the type having a moving test probe for alternate entry into and withdrawal from the core center providing individual testing and release, a selector means comprising a pivoted selector arm responsive to core test results including a plurality of funnel shaped core receiving openings disposed at different angular positions on said arm and terminating in holes disposed at different radial positions along said arm, core guide means including a like plurality of arcuate openings cooperating with said holes whereby a core received in one of said arm openings can fall into its respective guide means regardless of the angular position of said arm whereby the arm can move to receive the next core immediately upon receipt of the core in one of said openings.

6. A computer core handler as in claim 5 wherein said arm is rotated about a generally vertical axis to different angular positions by one or more solenoids.

7. A computer core handler as in claim 5 including a brush in said bowl positioned to engage the cores in the bowl and move them past the end of the chute, means for driving said brush, and wherein said bowl includes a cover, said cover and bowl cooperating to define a slot between the bowl and cover for receiving cores to be tested and holding them in a vertical position overlying the chute whereby said brush moves the cores along the slot over the chute to permit the cores to fall into the chute.

8. A computer core handler as in claim 7 wherein said cover is transparent.

9. A computer core handler as in claim 7 wherein said brush is caused to oscillate back and forth over the core chute.

10. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into a core having a front opening and having one end disposed to receive cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested and released, a brush in said bowl positioned to engage the cores in the bowl and move them past the end of the chute, means for driving said brush, an additional brush adapted to engage cores in the chute through the front opening and move them along the chute, means for moving said additional brush, a selector means comprising a pivoted selector arm including a plurality of core receiving openings disposed at different angular positions on said arm and terminating in holes disposed at different radial positions along said arm, core guide means including arcuate openings cooperating with said holes whereby a core received in said arm openings can fall into said guide means regardless of the angular position of said arm whereby the arm can move to receive the next core immediately upon receipt of the core in one of said openings. 

1. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into a core chute having one end disposed to receive the cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested, released and received by selector means which directs the cores into a selected receptacle, the combination with said bowl of a cover, said cover and bowl cooperating to define a slot between the bowl and cover for receiving cores to be tested, a brush which engages the cores in the bowl, means for moving the brush to move the cores in the bowl with their longitudinal axes in a generally horizontal position over the end of the chute whereby said brush moves the cores along the slot over the chute to permit the cores to fall into the chute so that when a tested core is released a new core moves into the chute.
 2. A computer core handler as in claim 1 wherein said cover is transparent.
 3. A computer core handler as in claim 1 wherein said brush is caused to oscillate back and forth over the core chute.
 4. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into the core chute having a front opening and having one end disposed to receive the cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested, released, and received by selector means which directs the cores into a selected receptacle, the combination with said bowl of a brush which engages the cores in the bowl, means for moving the brush to move the cores in the bowl over the end of the chute whereby when a tested core is released a new core moves into the chute, a rotating brush adapted to engage cores in the chute through the front opening and move them along the chute, and means for moving said rotating brush.
 5. In a coMputer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into a core chute having one end disposed to receive cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station of the type having a moving test probe for alternate entry into and withdrawal from the core center providing individual testing and release, a selector means comprising a pivoted selector arm responsive to core test results including a plurality of funnel shaped core receiving openings disposed at different angular positions on said arm and terminating in holes disposed at different radial positions along said arm, core guide means including a like plurality of arcuate openings cooperating with said holes whereby a core received in one of said arm openings can fall into its respective guide means regardless of the angular position of said arm whereby the arm can move to receive the next core immediately upon receipt of the core in one of said openings.
 6. A computer core handler as in claim 5 wherein said arm is rotated about a generally vertical axis to different angular positions by one or more solenoids.
 7. A computer core handler as in claim 5 including a brush in said bowl positioned to engage the cores in the bowl and move them past the end of the chute, means for driving said brush, and wherein said bowl includes a cover, said cover and bowl cooperating to define a slot between the bowl and cover for receiving cores to be tested and holding them in a vertical position overlying the chute whereby said brush moves the cores along the slot over the chute to permit the cores to fall into the chute.
 8. A computer core handler as in claim 7 wherein said cover is transparent.
 9. A computer core handler as in claim 7 wherein said brush is caused to oscillate back and forth over the core chute.
 10. In a computer core handler of the type in which cores stored in a bowl are fed into a core chute having a front opening and having one end disposed to receive cores from the bowl and guide the cores to a test station where they are individually tested and released, a brush in said bowl positioned to engage the cores in the bowl and move them past the end of the chute, means for driving said brush, an additional brush adapted to engage cores in the chute through the front opening and move them along the chute, means for moving said additional brush, a selector means comprising a pivoted selector arm including a plurality of core receiving openings disposed at different angular positions on said arm and terminating in holes disposed at different radial positins along said arm, core guide means including arcuate openings cooperating with said holes whereby a core received in said arm openings can fall into said guide means regardless of the angular position of said arm whereby the arm can move to receive the next core immediately upon receipt of the core in one of said openings. 